York Late Music Concert Series at the Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York (From York Press)

York Late Music Concert Series at the Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York

9:40am Friday 5th March 2010 in

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After its autumn launch last year, the York Late Music Concert Series resumes this weekend with a double-bill of choral concerts at the now regular venue of the Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York’s oldest non-conformist church.

In keeping with the 2009 format, the series will be held on the first weekend of each month, with further programmes of “exciting, accessible, contemporary music by living composers” to follow in April, May and June.

Tomorrow at 1pm, American vocal ensemble Bright Cecilia will perform new musical settings of evocative, often mischievous lyrics written by the troubadours of 12th and 13th century France, whose words survived even though their melodies were lost. These works will be sung in Old Provencal with English readings and illuminations.

Bright Cecilia are at present undertaking post-graduate studies at the University of York; York composers Edward Caine and Roger Marsh will be among those providing the settings for tomorrow’s concert.

The Elysian Singers, from London, will return to the Late Music series to perform contemporary spiritual choral music at 6pm, including John Tavener’s Butterfly Dreams, Eric Whiteacre’s Sleep and works by Henryk Gorecki, Philip Glass and Gavin Bryars. Local composer David Lancaster’s new choral work, Bliss, will be performed for the first time too.

April’s weekend will focus on jazz, as the series spreads its wings. “Jazz is the archetypal 20th and 21st century artform and is very much contemporary, so that’s why we’re including it in our programme,” says artistic director Steve Crowther.

The rapidly emerging WorldService Project will build their 7.30pm programme on April 2 around pianist Dave Morecroft’s experimental, edgy music. Lyricism and burning intensity mark out his compositions.

The 2008 winners of the Jazz Services Promoters Choice Awards, the innovative If Destroyed Still True, will make their York debut the following night at 7.30pm. “They really are an exciting, up-and-coming jazz group, who it will be great to see and hear in the chapel,” says Steve. “They were recommended to us by Jazz Yorkshire, in Leeds, and in the present climate, it’s absolutely crucial to have partnerships like this to create any possible junction point for future work together.”

While the series has a policy of concentrating only on living composers, it does allow for exceptions to the rule. Witness the Fitzwilliam String Quartet’s concert on May 1, when Henry Purcell’s Baroque 17th century work, Fantasia No 7, will open the 7.30pm programme by the former quartet-in-residence at the University of York.

“This Fantasia has inspired and influenced the pieces that will follow, so it’s entirely appropriate to have Purcell’s piece first,” says Steve, whose composition Here Comes The Night will receive its first complete performance.

“Since they first performed two of the five movements at the 2008 Late Music Festival, the Fitz have asked me to re-write parts of it, and quite right too! It will be all the better for it,” adds Steve, assessing a work that attempts to come to terms with a close friend’s suicide, using quotations from pop songs to head the movements.

The evening also will feature two new commissions, Carolyn Sparey’s Fantasia in G and York composer David Blake’s Fantasy Piece, along with works by Duncan Druce, Jeremy Thurlow and David Power and solo cello pieces by Krzysztof Penderecki and Kaija Saariaho.

The June 5 piano recital by series regular Ian Pace will offer a very rare chance to hear Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated. “Rzewski is an absolutely terrific American composer and this is a marvellous 50-minute work from 1975, but sadly it’s rarely performed, so we’re delighted Ian will be playing it,” says Steve. “He’s an exceptional performer and we’ve had a long and fruitful history with him – indeed my two pieces in this concert, Political Prayer and Morris Dances, were written specially for him to play.”

Pace’s 7.30pm programme will be completed by Michael Parkin’s Piano Sonata. “It struck me as a good idea to include a piece by Michael as he started off the Soundpool event, which then became the Late Music Festival – and he’s a tremendous composer,” says Steve.

Call For Performers recitals on May 1 and June 5 at 1.30pm will be added to the series, with further details to be announced on the website www.latemusic.org/concerts. Details of the York Late Music Festival: Cutting Edge programme from May 7 to 15 can be found there too.

Analysing the progress of the Late Music series so far, Steve says: “The biggest challenge has been simply moving to a new venue because there was a venue loyalty that surprised us, but this new location for us is absolutely perfect. The Unitarian Chapel is acoustically ideal…but it seems some people don’t know where it is.

“So we realise that we’re going to have to build up our audience development; by doing concerts each month, people will become used to our events being held there and hopefully they’ll come back regularly. On top of that, publicity will help too.” Ticket prices have been set at an “affordable” level with a maximum of £10, concessions £8, and lunchtime events at £5/£3. Phone 01904 658338 or book online www.ncem.co.uk

During springtime, the Late Music Series will host a variety of contemporary art exhibitions at the Unitarian Chapel, including Michael Scott on March 13 and 14 and Mary Greene on April 10 and 11.

Opening hours are 10am to 6pm on Saturdays; 12.30pm to 5.30pm, Sunday; admission free.